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Robin Gillespie (shown here with medical oncologist David Hyman) has been taking neratinib for two years.

Summary

Neratinib, an experimental drug developed to target certain mutations that drive cancer growth, is showing promise for treating several types of cancer. The findings from a phase II study were presented at the 2017 AACR Annual Meeting.

Highlights

Basket trials are based on the idea that cancers originating in different parts of the body may carry the same genetic mutations.

Neratinib, the drug in this study, targets mutations in a protein called HER2.

Researchers think the drug will work even better if it’s combined with other therapies.

In the growing field of precision oncology, people with cancer increasingly are divided into subgroups and given therapies that target specific mutations found in their tumors. For example, two patients with breast cancer may receive distinct treatments based on the genetics of their individual cancers.

Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering have taken this a step further, pioneering the concept of basket trials. Basket trials test therapies on tumors regardless of where they originate in the body, as they may carry the same genetic mutations. Therefore, the same targeted drug may work against many kinds of cancer.

At this year’s meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Washington, DC, a multicenter international team led by David Hyman, Director of Developmental Therapeutics at MSK, reported findings from a phase II basket trial of an experimental drug called neratinib, which targets a protein called HER2. All patients treated in this study had a mutation in the HER2 gene, although the specific mutation differed from patient to patient. The study was the largest of its kind to evaluate the effectiveness of targeting these HER2 gene mutations.

“We found that in several types of cancer, neratinib showed a potential beneficial effect,” Dr. Hyman says. “The next step is to move it into combinations with other drugs, which we hope will really boost the drug’s efficacy.”

In the trial, called SUMMIT, the drug was more effective in some kinds of cancer than in others. It worked best against breast cancer, cervical cancer, and biliary cancer (a type of liver cancer), shrinking some tumors and preventing others from growing. There also was some benefit in people with non-small cell lung cancer and tumors of the salivary gland. In other cancers, however, fewer positive effects were seen. The researchers aren’t yet sure why these differences occurred, and it’s something they plan to investigate.

Robin’s Story

Robin Gillespie, 57, a scientist with a PhD who works in the field of workplace safety, has been taking neratinib for two years. Dr. Gillespie was diagnosed in 2009 with cervical cancer, and has been coping with metastatic disease since 2011.

After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, as well as surgery to remove one of her lungs, where the cancer had spread, Dr. Gillespie was told by her doctors that she had exhausted her options for standard treatment. With several small tumors persisting in her remaining lung, an earlier biopsy was tested for mutations that might match her to a clinical trial. Findings from that test brought her to MSK.

I feel strongly that people should know about this trial.

Robin Gillespiepatient

Today, her tumors have not disappeared, but they have stopped growing. “Here I am, and I feel pretty well,” she says. The only side effects she has experienced are diarrhea and cracked fingernails, which she says is a great improvement from how she felt during chemotherapy. “The drug comes in tablets, which I can take at home every day,” she says. “Once a month I see one of the doctors at MSK, and I get a CT scan every two months to make sure my tumors are stable. So far they are.”

Dr. Gillespie says she’s aware of the advantages she has in being able to access these kinds of clinical trials as an educated woman living in New York City. She’s now actively working to help recruit more women with cervical cancer to the trial. “I want women to know that they have other treatment options, and this study could be one of them,” she says. “I’m reaching out to people through various support groups because I feel strongly that people should know about this trial.”

Targeting a Shared Mutation

What Dr. Gillespie and the other patients in the SUMMIT trial have in common is that their tumors have mutations in the gene HER2that lead to a defective protein. Neratinib targets these defects, which researchers believe are driving the cancer. (This mutation is different from the HER2 variation commonly seen in breast and stomach cancers.)

Dr. Hyman refers to the trial as a second-generation basket study. An earlier basket study from MSK, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2015, evaluated a drug that had been developed and FDA approved to treat melanomas with a mutation in a gene called BRAF to see if it would also be effective against other types of cancers with BRAF mutations.

Neratinib, on the other hand, is an experimental drug that is being investigated exclusively in clinical trials. Also, unlike the prior basket study that looked at only one mutation in BRAF, the SUMMIT study is looking at more than 20 unique mutations in HER2. “This adds another level of complexity, but also opportunity,” Dr. Hyman says.

The next step is to move [neratinib] into combinations with other drugs, which we hope will really boost the drug's efficacy.

David Hymanmedical oncologist

“The particular mutations we are targeting with these new basket studies are rare, yet they appear across many different diseases. There are not enough patients with any one type of disease to evaluate this drug,” he adds.

Dr. Hyman notes that because of the nature of basket studies, multicenter international collaborations are extremely important. “It’s hard to get enough patients in one place to be able to evaluate these kinds of drugs,” he says. So far, the trial has included 141 patients from about a dozen hospitals in the United States, Spain, and Australia.

“MSK contributed the largest number of patients to this study,” Dr. Hyman adds, “but we wouldn’t have been able to carry it out without the involvement of all these other institutions. Robin’s story illustrates how important it is that patients with rare diseases, like cervical and biliary cancers, be offered testing to look for these type of mutations.”

“It’s not a miracle treatment,” Dr. Gillespie says. “We don’t know how long it might work. But so far, it keeps me alive, and productive, and pretty strong. These are all good things!”

Comments

Phyllis Peters

Apr 21, 2017 • 9:31 AM

I have been diagnosed with appendix cancer I had the HIPEC procedure Jan 2016 My tumor markers were at 29 in March Dr. Sam Pappas did the procedure at Loyola med in Il Dr Marsh at North Shore university in Evanston Il Is my oncologist are thereany trials in the future for this form of cancer thank you Phyllis Peters

Dear Phyllis, you may be eligible for a basket trial using a targeted therapy, depending on which mutations are present in your tumor. If you’d like to arrange a consultation with an MSK doctor to learn more, you can call 800-525-2225 or go to https://www.mskcc.org/experience/become-patient/appointment for more information on making an appointment. You may also want to speak with your current medical team about whether any basket trials are being conducted at any of the cancer centers in Chicago.

Thank you for your comment, and best wishes to you.

Gerard Freisinger

Apr 21, 2017 • 9:54 AM

Any basket trials on aggressive neuroendocrine tumors with a Ki67 of 90?
This is my daughter's tumor.

Dear Gerard, we’re so sorry to hear about your daughter’s diagnosis. MSK does not currently have any basket trials for drugs that target this mutation, but you may want to check www.clinicaltrials.gov to see if other centers do. We do offer a number of other treatments for neuroendocrine tumors. If your daughter would like to arrange for a consultation, the number to call is 800-525-2225. You can go to https://www.mskcc.org/experience/become-patient/appointment for more information on making an appointment. Thank you for your comment and best wishes to you and your family.

Judy Collins

Apr 21, 2017 • 10:14 AM

Anything new on treatment of multiple myeloma? My brother is in remission after chemo. Autologous bone marrow transplant 7 years ago. Thank you!

Dear Suheil, neratinib is currently being evaluated at MSK and other centers in Phase II trials to investigate its effectiveness in treating gastric cancer and other solid tumors with HER2 defects. You can learn more here: https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/clinical-trials/13-140 Thank you for your comment.

Richard A Liscio

Apr 21, 2017 • 12:21 PM

is there anything in the basket trials that may help to those of us with colon cancer with a metastasis to the liver.

Dear Richard, there are basket trials available for some patients with colorectal cancer, depending on the mutations that are present in their tumors. If you’re interested in making an appointment to learn more, you can call 800-525-2225 or go to https://www.mskcc.org/experience/become-patient/appointment for more information on making an appointment. Thank you for your comment, and best wishes to you.

Pauline Martin

Apr 21, 2017 • 12:36 PM

Hi - this all great stuff and very encouraging. What new trials or basket studies are there for estrogen positive breast cancer that has metastasized and is present in the liver and bones? It seems that the majority of published articles concerning breast cancer research involves HER2. Which is wonderful however not applicable to me. Would the Summit basket be a potential fit and something to watch as it advances in its research? Thanks

Dear Pauline, there are basket trials available for some patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, depending on the mutations that are present in their tumors. If you’re interested in making an appointment to learn more about getting your tumor sequenced, you can call 800-525-2225 or go to https://www.mskcc.org/experience/become-patient/appointment for more information on making an appointment. Thank you for your comment, and best wishes to you.

Stephen Smith

Apr 21, 2017 • 4:38 PM

Glad to hear that some trails are showing some signs that they can help treat and prolong the quality of life. My wife was treated at Sloan for Ovarian Cancer from 2009 until she lost her battle in 2014. She took part in some trail drugs programs there as well, but it didn't help her survive! My point is I strongly believe that the Real fight against all Cancer's will have to come from Stem Cell replacement period. Drugs do no cure disease only treats them. Thanks for listening.

Dear Abdul, because this drug is still being studied, it’s too early to know which types of cancer it will ultimately be effective against. Thank you for your comment.

REV

Apr 29, 2017 • 12:04 PM

Your article mentions 'unlike the prior basket study that looked at only one mutation in BRAF, the SUMMIT study is looking at more than 20 unique mutations in HER2.' What are the 20+ mutations in HER2 being looked at? When can info on this be found?

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We welcome your questions and comments. While we share many of them with our world-class doctors and researchers, we regret that in order to protect your privacy, we are not able to make personal medical recommendations on this forum, nor do we publish comments that contain your personal information. If you would like to consult with an MSK doctor, we encourage you to make an appointment at 800-525-2225 or request an appointment online.